Born to Fly
Green eyes scanned the horizon as the steady gush of wind rushed past her body, thick with the pleasant salty smell that came with all ocean breezes. Far below her, white froth formed at the base of the cliff as waves battered the rocky face relentlessly, a constant beat that seemed, almost, to go along with the rapid thumping of her heart.
This was it.
This was her time.
Her brother had done what she intended to do years earlier, and it was in his honor that she chose the very same spot he had chosen. She remembered him bringing her there when she was quite young - barely out of infanthood - he had carried her most of the way. They had sat where she stood now, watching the aerial acrobatics of some water-birds and keeping an eye out for any sign of marine life breaching the surface of the vast plain of dark blue liquid.
She remembered how he had made her laugh that day, how he had spoken to her about some of his greatest fears, secret desires… It was then that he’d told her what he planned on doing there, though he had expected the day to be years in the future – hadn’t expected to have had to go so early.
She could remember the day their mother had told him to go, how he had argued violently that she didn’t know what she was saying before begging, pleading to be given more time. Eventually, he withdrew to a part way back in the back of his mind, seeming to accept the fate he had been given.
She breathed deeply then, eyes closed as she basked in the golden warmth of the sun, feeling content even as the ocean below continued relentlessly bashing against the rocky cliff base. Fleeting memories of her family, her life up to that point flashed through her mind until finally, with one final breath to steel herself against what she had to do – She jumped.
Not a sound did she utter, not a scream, for this was her choice, and she was going to follow through until the end. The wind whistled as it rushed past her ears, and not even the crashing of the waves – such a loud noise from atop the cliff could be heard.
She shut her eyes for a moment, just a moment as she tried to stop the water from streaming out of them, her jaw clenched tight and her mind working furiously to go through everything she had done.
With a bellow, she forced her wings open, regretting it an instant later when the force of her decent pulled wickedly on the joints. Growling, trying not to cry out at the unexpected pain she snapped her wings to her body once more.
She knew what she needed to do.
She’d been taught it all before.
But she couldn’t seem to get the idea of it… and fear of enduring the pain in her wing-joints stopped her from opening them again until she was positive she knew how to do so safely.
The ocean was coming closer now, she could make out the jagged rocks that were at the base of the cliff she had stood on. She hissed softly. Even if she survived the fall the waves would throw her body against the rocks without hesitation.
A small wave of panic made her blood run cold as she struggled to make sense of what she was attempting to do.
Countless lessons she had been given.
Countless lessons which she could no longer recall.
And time was running out.
It was of some great relief to her then, when - despite the noise the wind made as it rushed past her head -
despite the fear that overcame her at the thought of dying, broken on the rocks – she heard something.
The tone was male, with a rich lilt to it – almost mocking – and only for a moment. But it was enough for her.
Angle the voice had said, and angle was what she would do.
She snaked her neck diagonally, no longer looking directly at the rocks beneath her but the ocean before her, her front legs shifted as the rest of her immense length curved through the air. Nervously, carefully, she opened her wings, pointing them at an angle to the wind that blew past her and grinning triumphantly as the air began to scoop beneath it. With a satisfying snap, she opened them to their full length, still angled towards the ocean as the wind dove and tugged at her extra limbs.
Like a knife they glided through the air that, only moments before was controlling her, now, as all creatures of flight before her, she was using the many whims of the air to her advantage.
She was her nose kissed the ocean as she managed the final tilt that would give her lift, angling her wings just that little bit more and using her downward momentum to propel her across the ocean, parting the water in waves before twisting back towards the sky.
One stroke.
Two Strokes.
Three.
And she was up, her forked tail flicking the water as if to tease it, her forearms reaching out in front of her and her back legs dangling out behind.
She was flying.
She was actually flying.
Her jaws opened wide and she gave a roar of delight, falling into the rhythm of flight with the ease of a fish to water.
The golden light of the sun sparkled off her cobalt scales as she twirled in the sky, the waters reflection covering her belly scales in an odd, rippling light.
Almost giddy with joy, she began her ascent to the cliff she had leapt off, craning her head to marvel at how radiant she looked with the sun seeming to glint off every scale she owned.
With one more triumphant roar, she alighted the knoll on which she had stood earlier, landing with such grace one would believe she had been flying for centuries and not just completed her first flight. She stood on all fours, Tail lashing behind her like a cat’s and neck arched proudly as she surveyed the crowd that had gathered before her.
Her mother, ever radiant in her green and brown speckled beauty stood in the back, the largest dragon by far settled on that cliff. Before her, her younger siblings – some not much smaller then herself, others, barely out of the egg, but all sitting there and showing their approval.
The most important though, a light bronze in colour – with golden eyes, and light brown markings – was her brother - the first of their clan to fly, and the one who had helped her in her greatest time of need.
Like her brother before her, she had achieved flight, and, when the time came, she would leave her clan to create her own. For now, as she wandered over to settle down next to the older dragon, buzzing with adrenaline, she would simply assist in the education of her younger siblings – waiting for the day their mother decided the next dragonet was ready to attempt their first flight.
